Tom Wilk has been named the new head men’s basketball coach at Tompkins Cortland Community College. The Panther alum and former assistant coach at SUNY Cortland and Morrisville State replaces Rich Echevarria, who stepped down earlier this summer after six seasons.
Wilk played for the Panthers in 2008-09, averaging 10.4 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game. After graduation he continued his playing career at Morrisville State, where he was a team captain for a Mustangs program that won conference championships and appeared in the NCAA Division 3 national tournament both years, advancing to the Elite 8 his senior season.
He started his coaching career with two seasons as an assistant at SUNY Delhi, helping the Broncos to its first national ranking (USCAA) as a four-year program. In 2017 he returned to Morrisville, serving as an assistant for two seasons. He helped lead the Mustangs to a record of 42-14 over two seasons, including the best season in program history. In 2019 Wilk was named to the Under Armour NABC 30-Under-30 Team, an honor presented by the National Association of Basketball Coaches to 30 of the most outstanding men’s college basketball coaches in the nation under 30 years old.
A native of Cortland, Wilk returned to his hometown as an assistant coach at SUNY Cortland in 2019, helping the Red Dragons to SUNYAC quarterfinal appearance during his one season before the pandemic cancelled the 2020-21 season. The move to Tompkins Cortland puts him the head coach role while also completing a bit of a circle.
“I’ve been thinking about getting back to where I started and helping build on the tradition started by the coaches before me,” said Wilk. “Everywhere I’ve been I’ve learned about coaching and the game, and I’m looking forward to using what I have learned and helping our team.”
Wilk has an associate’s degree from Tompkins Cortland, and bachelor’s degree from Morrisville State, and a master’s degree from SUNY Cortland. “I’m looking for players who love basketball, will play the whole game without giving up, and are willing to work hard to improve,” said Wilk. “The system we will run will be dictated by the talents of our players and whatever puts them in the best position to succeed. I want to do what I can to help our student-athletes come here, experience our great facilities, and take advantage of the opportunity to get a degree and continue on to a four-year institution.”
“We couldn’t be more excited than we are about bringing Coach Wilk back to Tompkins Cortland basketball,” said Director of Athletics Mick McDaniel. “Coach Wilk has a tremendous breadth of experience, both as a player and a coach. He excelled as a player at this level, and knows all about the opportunities that are available to our student-athletes. He had an outstanding playing career after transferring to Morrisville State, and has gained valuable experience working on some very successful coaching staffs. He’s the perfect fit to lead the Panthers basketball back to prominence.”
The Panthers basketball program has won three Mid-State Athletic Conference championships, the most recent coming in 2014. The program has produced two all-Americans, 15 all-region players, and 25 all-conference players during its history.
https://www.tcpanthers.com/sports/mbkb/2021-22/releases/20210804ogsxrt
